(1) The State Surgeon General shall establish guidelines for early identification of persons at risk of having elevated blood-lead levels and for the systematic screening of children under 6 years of age in the target populations identified in subsection (2) for the presence of elevated blood-lead levels. Children within the specified target populations shall be screened with a blood-lead test at age 12 months and age 24 months, or between the ages of 36 months and 72 months if they have not previously been screened. The State Surgeon General shall, after consultation with recognized professional medical groups and such other sources as the State Surgeon General deems appropriate, adopt rules to follow established national guidelines or recommendations such as those issued by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to reporting elevated blood-lead levels and screening results to the department pursuant to this section.

(2) In developing screening programs to identify persons at risk with elevated blood-lead levels, priority shall be given to persons within the following categories:

(a) All children enrolled in the Medicaid program at ages 12 months and 24 months, or between the ages of 36 months and 72 months if they have not previously been screened.

(b) Children under the age of 6 years exhibiting delayed cognitive development or other symptoms of childhood lead poisoning.

(c) Persons at risk residing in the same household, or recently residing in the same household, as another person at risk with an elevated blood-lead level.

(d) Persons at risk residing, or who have recently resided, in buildings or geographical areas in which significant numbers of cases of lead poisoning or elevated blood-lead levels have recently been reported.

(e) Persons at risk residing, or who have recently resided, in an affected property contained in a building that during the preceding 3 years has been subject to enforcement for violations of lead-poisoning-prevention statutes, ordinances, rules, or regulations.

(f) Persons at risk residing, or who have recently resided, in a room or group of rooms contained in a building whose owner also owns a building containing affected properties which, during the preceding 3 years, has been subject to an enforcement action for a violation of lead-poisoning-prevention statutes, ordinances, rules, or regulations.

(g) Persons at risk residing in other buildings or geographical areas in which the State Surgeon General reasonably determines there is a significant risk of affected individuals having an elevated blood-lead level.

(3) The department shall maintain comprehensive records of all screenings indicating an elevated blood-lead level.

(4) The results of screenings conducted pursuant to this section shall be reported by the health care provider who conducted or ordered the screening to the individual who was screened, or to the individual’s parent or legal guardian if he or she is a minor.

History.—s. 5, ch. 2006-269; s. 36, ch. 2008-6; s. 5, ch. 2017-181.